de haeseleer



' H. DE HAESELEER.

TRUCK couPuNG.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14. 1918.

Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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H.' DE HAESELEER.

TRUCK COUPLING.

APPuATloN FILED ocT.14. 191e.

Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNiTED STATES PATENT oEicE.

HENRY DE HAESELEER, 0F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE TROY WAGON WORKS COMPANY, 0F TROY, OHIO, A CORPORATION'v 0F OHIO.

TRUCK-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2o, 191e.

Application led October 14, 1918. Serial No. 257,997.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, HENRY DE HAESELEER, a citizen of France, residing at Paris, in the country of` France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in' Truck- Couplings, of which the following is a speciiication, reference 'being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to truck couplers and particularly to automobile truck couplers, the main object being to provide an improved connection between a leading and a trailing vehicle, especially adapted for use in the modern method of moving these vehicles in trains. It is customary to employ a motor driven leading truck and to attach to it one or more trailing trucks which are drawn by the leading truck. It is frequently necessary to vback or reverse these trains and to this end it is customary to ,provide the trailing trucks with two pairs of supporting wheels with means for turning veither of these pairs so as to guide the truck around curves. The particular pair which is at'any time the leading pair is employed to steer the vehicle and the othervpair which is the following pair of wheels is held against rotation relative to the axle so as to cause the truck to steer properly. To hold the following pair of wheels in correct position it is usual to provide means for locking the draft bar connected to them in its central position.

It has been found, however, that when such a train of trucks is employed it is sometimes necessary. after they have been moved l in a forward direction to reverse the movement and back them so as, for example, to

get the trailing truck in some desired p0si-' tion. If the train stops on a curve, that is, with'the leading and trailing trucks not ex actly headed in the same direction, the draft bar connectingthe two will not be in its central position when the train stops. If then it is desired to back the train the pair of wheels of the trailing truck which has hitherto been the leading pair willbecome the following pair and therefore should be held in normal central position. But if the train stops on a curve as before stated the draft bar obviously will not be in central position and therefore there will be diiiiculty in backing the train.

It is the principal object of this invention l to provide a construction such that the train may readily be backed evenif the vehicles are stopped in positions out of the same straight line.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view showlng somewhat generally the connection between a leading truck at the right of the figure and a trailing truck at the left. Only the rearend 0f the leading truck and the forward en d of the trailing truck are shown.

' Fig. 2 is a vertical view largely in section of he draft bar connection shown in Fig. 1; an

Fig. 3` is an enlarged View, mostly in eleiation, of the partsat the right hand end of Referring to Fig. 1 the leading truck 1 is provided with driving wheels 2, asis customary, and a frame 3 projects from the rear end of the truck. This may be of any desired shape as it is merely a lsupporting frame, but it is shown as more or less rectangular in form and as being provided with angle bars 4:. Carried under the outer end of the frame 3 is a curved track 5 to which one end of the angle bars 4 are fastened. The curve of track 5 is convex toward the rear end of the leading truck and it extends to more or less the same width as the truck body. Of course, the actual extent of the track 5 shown is not necessarily employed.

The trailing truck 6 is provided with the usual pair of wheels 7 and these wheels are connected with draft bar 8, only one being shown. The connection may be substantially that shown in the patent to Hudson 1,214,037, J any. 30, 1917. From that patent it will be seen that the draft bar 8 is connected through drag links 9 to steering arms 10 which serve to turn the wheels 7 If the train shown in Fig. l is to be moved to the right the' draft bar 8 may swing around its pivot-11 on the frame of truck 6 and thus guide the truck. As shown, the

4forward or outer end of the draft bar 8 is .the right in Fig. 1) the draft bar 8 will be held centrallyl of the track 5 by a locking device so that the trailing vehicle will readily `follow the leading vehicle 1.

If the train stops on a curve after a forward movement it will be evident that while the draft bar 8 will have its outer end positioned centrally of the track 5 the draft bar will not be central as compared with the trailin truck 6. If it is then desired to back t e train the pair of wheels 7 shown in the ligure become the following wheels and should be returned to the position of Fig. 1.l However, this implies a rotation of the draft bar 8 around its pivot 11 and to permit such rotation and still permit driving of the trailing truck to the left in Fig. l is the object of the invention.

Referringv now to Figs.,2 and 3 the frame 3 is shown as supporting the track 5. This track has generally the construction of a plate girder having a solid web 12 and a web 13 which is cut away longitudinally, as at 14, providing a slot throughout the length of the track. The'outer end of the draft bar 8 is composed of a pivoted arm 15 on the end of which are shown upper and lower rollers 16 and 17 carried on a pin passino' through the arm 15. These rollersl are azdapted to ride on the web 13 of the track 5. The part 15 has a pivotal connection 18 with a telescoping section 19 of the draftbar. This section'surrounds a second telescoping sec- -tion 20 and the extent of relative movement between these sections is determined by the length of a slot 21 in section 20 into which passes a pin 22 in the section 19. These two sections are each provided with a series of equidistant holes 23 and through any of the holes a pin 24 may be passed. This pin is shown in Fig. 1 as double, but obviously a single pin may be employed.

To retain the draft bar in central position, shown in Fig. 1, a'locking bolt 25 is mounted on the web 12 of the track 5 and is provided with a spring 26 tending to move 1t to the locking position of IFig. 3. In this position it passes into a hole in the arm 15 and thus prevents lateral movement of the draft bar 8.

To withdraw the bolt 25 an arm 27 isy pivoted as at 28 on any convenient portion of the leading truck and this arm has a slot and pin connection 29 with the lookin bolt 25 or rather with a cap 30 arranged to e screwed to a threaded portion 31of the locking bolt. Thus operation of the handle 27 either directly or through a chain 32 will withdraw the locking bolt 25 and this bolt maybe 'held in withdrawn position by any type of keeper 33. 1f the cham 32 is employed the bolt may be operated from the drivers seat 0f the leading truck.

When the train is to move to the right in Fig. 1 the locking bolt 25 is permitted to engage the arm 15 and thus hold the draft bar 8 in its central position in the track 5. Ther. the forward movement of the train takes place as usual. If the train after such a forward movement stops on a curve then the draft bar 8 will not be central relative irrespective of their position in this track f the train may nevertheless be readily backed. The driver of the leading truck 1 1s not required to keep his truck nearly as close in line with the trailing truck 6 in backing movements as would be the case without the employment of the track 5. The rearward movement of the train may be given with the rollers' in any part of the track 5 and in fact they may roll along this track as the train is backed if diiferent relative inclinations of the two trucks are necessary.

The object of the telescoping sections 19 and 20 is to provide for this manual rotation of the draft bar 8. In the position of Fig. 1 the track 5, which is circular, has the "pivot 11 as its center. But if the two trucks are not in the same straight line the center from which track 5 is struck will not be coincident with the pivot 11. Thus, the telescoping sections permit the draft bar as a whole to be made longer or shorter so that the rollers 16 may nevertheless be moved through the track 5. When the desired relation of the telescoping sections is obtained they are locked in that position by the pin 24.

It is obvious, of course, that the draw bar need not be of the exa/ct telescopic construction shown to adapt it to'the purposes of my invention. draw bar which will permit it to be lengthened and shortened to compensate for the variable positions of its p'ivoted end which travels in the circular track will meet tinA requirements.

The track-5 may be provided at its ends with bars 34 passing through the fla of the girder so as to limit the movement of rollers 16-17 and prevent them passing entirely out of the track. In order to separate the two trucks it is necessary merely to remove one of the bars 84 whereupon t e draft bar may be manually moved to carry the rollers out of the track 5.

It will be seen that in the forward movement of the train the draft bar 8 is free to swing around its pivot 11 on the trailin truck so as to 1de the' trailing truc around curves. lso the outer end of the draft bar is held fast centrally ofthe track 5 by the locking plunger. In rearward movements of the train, the draft bar is heldxcentrally of the truck 6 by some type Any construction of thel in such backi movement the steeri of g 11g 11g the truck 6 is ne by the pair of wheels which are not shown in Fig. 1, as is evident from the patentto Hudson referred to above.

v While I have shown and described certain features as constituting my invention, it will be understood that parts have been shown for purposes of illustration only, and that I do not desire to be limited to such details, but wish to treat the invention more broadl as dened and comprehended in the appendyed claims, as obvious 'modificationswill occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described niy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y 1. In a draft mechanism, the combination, with a leading truck, a :frame extending from the rear end of the truck, and ay curved track supported by said frame and having two oppositely disposed parallel walls, said track having its curve convex toward the rear end of said leading truck, of a trailing truck having a draft bar extending therefrom, theouter end of said draft bar having rollers riding in said curved track between said Walls.

2. In a draft mechanism, the combination, with a leading truck, a frame extending from the rear end of the truck, and a circular track supported by4 said frame, the track bei convex toward the end of the leading truii and extending to substantially the width of the truck, of a trailing truck having a draft bar connected thereto, said draft bar having rollers riding in saidcircular for `locking sai sections and at its outer end having rollers riding on said circular track between said w'allsf with means for locking the draft b ar at the center of said'track.

4. In a draft mechanism, the combination, with a leading truck, and a curved track supportedby said truck outside of its rear end, said track bein convex toward' vthe and a draft elementhavingjrollers' riding.

in -said curved track, and pivotedto the end of the other of said compensating sections.

'5. In a draft mechanism, the combination, with a leading truck having a'curv'ed track a second rear end of vsaid truc of a trailing truck supported thereby, of a trallingftruck hav- 1 ing 'a draft bar extending to saldtrackj'and provided with Aelements riding on said-track,

and a locking .plunger carried'by andy being sprindg center of said track, means for withdrawingthe locklng plunger f taining vsai i l In testimolliyEwhereofJ aix-mysi NRY DE toward'aposition raftabar elements atthe.

with manually operated from lockindg position, and devicesformam- `plunger in ineifective position,

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